Driver texting at wheel while high on drugs

Published:16:00Sunday 07 September 2014

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A 22-year-old man has been banned from the roads after he was caught texting at the wheel while high on drugs.

Billy Pool was spotted using his mobile while driving his Volkswagen Polo in London Road, East Grinstead, by a roads policing officer who followed him into nearby Charlwood Road and then arrested him, at 9.45pm on 17 June.

When officers stopped Pool he handed over a jar of herbal cannabis and admitted he had smoked the drug.

This was confirmed when officers used a Drager drug-testing machine that indicated he had cannabis in his system.

Pool, of West Street, East Grinstead, pleaded guilty to driving while unfit through drugs and driving while using a mobile phone. He was banned from the roads for 12 months and was fined £300 and ordered to pay £85 costs and a £30 victim surcharge.

He also received a caution for possession of cannabis.

A total of 59 people have now been convicted of offences after being arrested in June as part of Operation Dragonfly, Sussex Police’s crackdown on drink and drug driving

Chief Inspector Natalie Moloney said: “Using the roads while on your mobile phone is bad enough but combining it with drugs use demonstrates a complete lack of consideration for others.

“Pool’s reckless behaviour put himself, other road users and pedestrians in danger. His reflexes would have been seriously affected by the drugs in his system so when you combine this with the fact he was texting at the same time it is just lucky someone wasn’t seriously hurt or even killed.”